Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-09-19
MILLIONAIRE WIDOWS.
How Some OF Them Got Their Imm8nse
Wealih-ShGTtS Sketches OF Mrs.
Hicks-L0rd and
Mrs Paran Stevsrs-Thsir Lives at Gotham
Europe and by the Ssa at
Newport.
Boston Globe

Boston Globe.
New YORK, Sep. l0.-One Of Our
wealtnies5 widows, and, perhaps, the
most popular one, is Mrs. Hick5-Lord, g
wonderful woman In many ways. She is
e genuine sristocrat, too, if We may be
said to have an aristOCracy in this
country. Her mother was Miss
ScheCck, beauty, tie daughter OF q
wealthy old Knickerbocker. She married
s merchant OF refined manners and well
of in this worlds goods, { E1r. wilkins,
the father Of the present Mrs. Hicks
Lord. Her name wss Antoinette vii
kins, named for Marie AGtoinette, Who
was favorite historical character OF
MS wilkins, even when she was the
beauty, Miss Schenck.
In beautiful place on the Hudson was
passed, amid ref ned home, the girlhood
of the beauty, Autoinette Wilkins, ountil
she met Harry Hicks, G dashing, hand
some young business man, who married
her, and then began her New York city
lie, where her brilliancy, beauty, wit,
good taste as 10 costumes and manner,
2gon for Mrs. Hicks 3 prominent place in
society.
tton8i, caring little for Mrs. GTundy' IS
opinions, bur she was always cultured
a9d a lady She set fashions and Wss
much quoted, SO that her less favored te-
male friends we're envious of her, but
then ss now, she always said delightful
things, always wore i smile, and was de-
termined TO win everybody, women as
well as men, although it must be admit
ted she preferred the latter, and they al
atored her.
Mr.. Hicks was not jealous, or the con
trary, nothing pleased him more than to
have his wife admired. They went &C.
CasiOnally to Europe, and there as in the
L tied States, Mrs. Hicks created 8 sen
setion by her affI6;lity, vii and beauty.
Every winter she passed some weeka
in Washington, where she was also e
belle Mr.. Hicks died while she was al
tue height CT her power. She has hosts OF
friends and had always entertained Law
. ~. Her home was g large brick house,
painted brown, on Fourteenth street, Just
OF Fifth avenue, we'll known TO every
New Yorker before trade had crept III
and when Fourteenth street was very
fashionable place for residences.
M Hicks left his widow q fortune
ample for al her needs. Size also inner
tied some money from her father Gnd
her grandfather SChCnCk.
Mrs. Hicks spent much of her time IL
Europe, but the New York house W6s al
ways KEEP! up and was very noticeable
from the extreme neetnes5 Ct its appear
erce. lis windows always shown, aaC
the grass plot 10 the front WSs always
GREENER THAN ANY OTHER.
After remaining widow for some
time, and really mourning her spleud!t
husband, whom she truly loved, she me-
the OLD millionaire, Thomas w. Lord. lie
was & Widower, with grown children, one
? Of whom is the conspicuous Frank Lord,
who, Whcl MS mother died, put the suite
II rooms he occupied every summer 81
Ssratsgs, in the Congress UsI anDtX
into mourning. The walls were covered
with black velvet, so were the picture
frames, furniture, etc, Wlle the floor
was covered by black fur rugs.
The CID CcgcGenarian Lord saw The
beautiful Widow Hicks, and stgeightw2y
fell IN love with her. He was her sGorer
The children became alarmed, lesring b
would marry the fascinating widow
She laughed I'll their fears. Tie idea haC
never entered her head, but the old mill
iouGire begged her to marry him 10 save
him from his children who, as he eX.
pressed it, pestered his life out to get hin
tG make will 1t was nine days won
der when Mrs. Hicks, the handsome
widow Of little over 40, married the wild
over Lord, about so. His sons didn'
: know what mad become Of him until tneJ
! found him after three days search 8
! Mrs. Hicks house Oh Fourteenth street
and ne informed them he had marriel
haT. Cards were sent to sll OF fashionable
New York who called and wondered g
The strange marriage.
OF course his children were angry auC
said she had inveigled their father into
marrying her; but know that was no
so, the old man YVES completely iascinat
ed by her. He died il & year OF two
j leaving her several millions to the DISCUS
OF his sons, although they were LETT larg,
, Incomes.
l. am quite sure though that old Mr.
Lord passed some of the happie5t hour
of his life after Mrs. Hicks necam3 biz
wife. A great many people have though
! that Mr.. Lords Cnristisn name Wa!
{ Hicks. 1t IVES not, but Thomas, blu
: Mrs. Hicks had been known SO short
/ time by the name of Lord and had borne
her first husbands name so long that SIT
COMBINED THE TWO NAMES
with hyphen, calling herself Mrs. An
toinette Hicks.Lord. Many have sup
| posed Mr.. Lord was OF the well-know1
. firm Of Lord & Taylor, but there is n
relation between the two families.
Mrs. Uick5Lord st present occupies {
handsome house on Washington square
+ corner Of Washington place. She prefers
the old-fash:oned part OF the city. The
house has always been known as the Al
sop estate. as it was built years $50 by
: wealthy merchant by that name. Genera
Mcclellan also occupied the house 20
several winters previous to his death
Mrs. Hicks-Lord bought The house ant
, had it reftted IN grand style
1t is filed with everything
rich and handsome. TIE furniture il
massive and expensive, and the thr,t
draWing-rooms ere filed with rare brsc
: a.h-ac. Mrs. Hicks Lord has cabinets an,
tables covered with costly diamond orna
ments ind other souvenirs that have beel
! presented 10 her by royalty and til
nobility when sbGoad. She has no p.ctur
gallery but there are fine works OF srt
| painting, statuary, ETC., scattered al owe
I the house.
A handsome fulllength portrait of Mrs
Hicks-Lord by H9aly, painted in whit
sstin dress, is the objective point in II
first drawing She is pa sioEateI